Author: admin

Brrrr…it’s chilly out there, as February clings on to cooler Winter weather and a watery sun pops up, that is bright, but largely ineffectual. I was chatting to the daffodils earlier and they were all complaining that what looked like Spring, wasn’t, and they wished they had not bloomed quite so readily.

So it is with business, we can win an order and assume that the sales graph will continue to soar upwards, like a kite being launched into a strong breeze. How often does business actually go in a nice neat curve? Rarely.

Winter is not a good time for hands and I’ve been noticing that the cold winds have dried mine out. Then I noticed that all I was doing was noticing this and doing nothing about it, so I went out and purchased a small tube of hand cream that I can keep in the car. No point in having a big pot of gloop at home when you’re away on business, as that’s useless. Now I have hands that are no longer looking so wind blown and uncared for. I think hands can be a window to the soul, and maybe that’s a thought for a another day.

However, hands a are a good metaphor for business. What do you need to notice that you’re noticing? What can you do about it? Lots of people talk a good story and fail to act, hoping something good will come up, or that Spring weather will somehow deliver magical improvements. What is the ‘business hand cream’ that you need to rub on?

If we look after and hands and look after our business then we will be a success!

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In memoriam. This week sees the anniversary of the death of my lovely nephew Wills, who died just short of his 15th birthday on 26th February 2015, after spending 4 weeks in a coma as a result of contracting a one-in-a-million virus. At the time I wrote about this sad event and was overwhelmed with replies, so thank you to all those lovely people who made contact. One year on reminds me that life is fleeting and so please take time to think about someone who is no longer with you and then take time to hug someone who is. Life is too short to be sparing with hugs.

Thank you, Richard.

I love being a business coach. In my 14th year I can honestly say that it still feels like day 1 when I first meet a new client and we explore their needs and issues. I tend to work with middle and senior managers and small teams, so that together we facilitate organisational change, by developing confidence, bringing people together and accounting for options.

Often when people are first trained in coaching skills they naturally default to a question-and-answer style of work and whilst there is nothing wrong in that, there are times when the client simply puffs out a smokescreen and dupes the coach. It happens to us all and I’ve had several clients who have tried this, only to be disappointed when I cut through the smoke by asking them a powerful question. Powerful questions cut to the heart of the matter and tend to use the word ‘really’ to add emphasis. Such as:

a) Are you really going to do that, between now and when we next meet?

b) Are these two options really the only ones available?

c) Have you really thought through the consequences of not taking action?

These questions poke people hard in the ribs and although they are delivered in a friendly way, the recipient knows they can’t hide and have to cough up a truth or two. We can then explore them and deliver a good outcome between us.

However, to use powerful questions successfully I have found that we need to have built a good relationship, in order to establish a high level of trust between us, so that the client knows I only have their best interests at heart and am only poking them in order to help them. It has become apparent to me over the previous 12 months that I now tend to ask fewer questions overall and instead spend time building the relationship, so the coaching conversation emerges, rather than being a product of a dry process.

Making contact with people is essential in business, whether they are a client, a member of staff, or a supplier. Taking time to get to know them pays high dividends as it builds trust and rapport and creates a sense of safety between the parties. When people feel safe they will tend to be more honest and do better work, which adds more value to our business.

So, this week take a moment to think about how you interact with the people who make your business a success. Do you rush in and expect instant sales? Do you spend time really getting to know your staff?

People buy people. Who is buying you? Relational coaching is powerful and great fun and sometimes I go paddling with clients in the surf on the North Norfolk coast. Building a sound relationship can take many forms! What could you do more of?

Next week: Hand Cream & Success